Podcast

Every entrepreneur wants success. It’s a long, hard, and lonely road being a business owner. It could take years before all of your hard work is finally paid off.

But what if you went through all that hardship because you didn’t focus on the fundamentals?

Today’s guest, Austin Roberts from LogOX, reveals the fundamentals of running a highly profitable e-commerce store.

Matt sits down with Take Two founder Jerek Lovey. Take Two makes plant-based barely milk with a huge emphasis on sustainability using upcycled spent grain as a key component in their tasty game-changing dairy-free milk.

In a lot of ways, the inception of Take Two was fairly Serendipitous. Jerek had just sold a wildly successful kale chips brand that you probably had the chance to enjoy. He wasn’t actually looking to start another business but was approached by Anheuser-Busch to work on a way to upcycle spent grains from their brewing process.

Take Two is changing the game for plant-based milk on seemingly all fronts. To start, their dedication to sustainability is unparalleled to the point of them helping to repurpose thousands upon thousands of spent grain that otherwise would go to waste. On the nutrition front, their barely milk is so much more nutrient-dense than your typical plant-based milk but, most importantly the taste and texture of Take Two is amazing. It really all comes down to barely as the x-factor to fixing the classic problems of plant-based milk while helping offer a better more sustainable solution. So, how just how does one start a plant-based milk company let alone pioneer a new and progressive upcycling technique.

In this episode of Built On Passion Jerek Lovey shares the story of how he started a plant-based milk brand from the ground up, how barely is a game-changing grain of the future, what it took to build out their upcycling process, and the ‘How’ and ‘Why’ behind Take Two.

Matt sits down with Ranger Ready co-founder Chris Fuentes. Ranger Ready makes a highly effective permethrin insect repellent.

Mosquitoes and ticks bites aren’t something to be taken lightly. Obviously, they can be a pretty big annoyance but there are some really life-changing diseases that you’re exposed to when you get bitten. Though there are plenty of bug spray options out there to help keep you protected, a good amount of them can still be fairly toxic to people so you have to ask yourself, ‘how can you actually protect yourself from exposure?’ That’s exactly what Chris Fuentes and Ted Kensten hoped to answer when they started Ranger Ready.

When Chris and Ted started Ranger Ready, they weren’t just looking for the next project to work on, they wanted to tackle a major issue that desperately needed a better option. They found that permethrin was the key to making bug spray WAY safer for both people and pets than your average DEET bug spray. In Fact they even have the scientific findings behind it to back up their claim and the results are fairly staggering. Ranger Ready has been meticulously tested for effectiveness and has a scientific guarantee of offering 12-hours of protection. It’s easy to talk the talk but, Ranger Ready actually walks the walk and has the science to prove it. They also just so happen to be the bug spray of choice for some major organizations including SpaceX and the military (if that’s not saying something, I don’t know what to tell you). So what actually goes into creating and building a bug spray brand (Especially one poised to change how we recreate outdoors and protect ourselves from nasty insect bites.)

In this episode of Built On Passion Chris Fuentes shares what led him to dedicate himself to creating a better bug spray option, how they manage to stay committed to their mission, developed a devoted team leading to unparalleled customer service and satisfaction, and the “How” and “Why” behind Ranger Ready.

Matt sits down with Lone Pine Gear Exchange co-founder Katy Jackson. Lone Pine Gear Exchange is an outdoor gear consignment shop and so much more. They also repair gear, tune skis, are a plastic-free refill station, a coffee shop, and act as a community hub for outdoor lovers of all kinds.

Getting out into nature and enjoying the outdoors is an extremely important part of the human experience, but it can be really hard to commit to living a life that helps reduce the human footprint on the places we love. That’s exactly the issue that Katy wants to address with Lone Pine Gear Exchange. Lone Pine Gear isn’t just a gear consignment shop, it gives anyone and everyone who wants to get outside a place to get everything they need to help keep supporting a cleaner and healthier planet. Katy and her partner didn’t flinch when they came up with the idea of an all-in-one stop for anyone who loves the outdoors as much as they do and although it seems like such a niche, and specific idea for a brick and mortar store, when you examine all the different aspects it touches on it seems to effortlessly make sense. Beyond helping people to enjoy and get into the sports they love, Lone Pine Gear Exchange is also rapidly serving as a community center for like-minded people to get together and share in whatever passion brings them together in nature.

In this episode of Built On Passion Katy Jackson shares the background of how Lone Pine Gear Exchange got started, how the idea developed, what roadblocks she’s faced along the journey, and the “how” and “why” behind Lone Pine Gear Exchange`

Matt sits down with Bolstr founder Jay Yoo. Bolstr makes ergonomic everyday carry bags and accessories designed to help simplify your life, unburden your mind, and bring a little zen into your everyday life.

Jay isn’t quite a serial entrepreneur, but more of a serial problem solver. He initially got his start as an engineer before moving on to the fashion industry leaving his mark, only to go on and completely revamp how we look at wallets with the inception of the Slimmy wallet. Despite substantially affecting each industry he enters and making it seem like nothing, Jay’s biggest feat has been staying level-headed and focused through all the hard parts of his career. Jay is an incredible reminder that no success comes without struggle and keeping the right perspective and healthy habits pays back in dividends.

Although it’s clear that Jay has a lot of interests and passions, one stands out more than any and that’s stepping back to look at something and simply make it better. His vision with starting Bolstr was more than just making an incredible bag, it’s to modernize what it means to grab your stuff when you walk out the door. (There’s no rush to grab your keys, then your wallet, your phone — with Bolstr’s bags everything you need and normally stuff your pockets with is on hand and easy to grab and go).

Jay’s experience, background, mindset, and attitude towards his career and life, in general, are a great reminder of mindfulness and he wants to help bring that kind of zen to your everyday life with Bolstr.

In this episode of Built On Passion Jay Yoo walks us through his colorful career highlighting how he ended up starting Bolstr, some serious wisdom on what it means to be an entrepreneur and how he navigated some personal roadblocks along his journey, and the “How” and “Why” behind starting Bolstr

Matt sits down with Nocs Provisions founder Chris McKleroy. Nocs Provisions has reimagined one of the most iconic tools of exploration, adventuring, and the great outdoors; Binoculars.

Nocs Provisions is bringing binoculars back into vogue and bringing them into the 21st century. It’s interesting how binoculars have been pretty synonymous with time spent outdoors and general adventures of all kinds. Despite being such a recognizable tool it’s not something that’s really been modernized…until now. Nocs is raising the quality, dropping the price, and making binoculars cool again. Their designs are awesome and make this dusty tool more of a functional accessory. Beyond a long-needed update to the classic tool, Nocs is using their products as a jumping-off point to break down barriers in the outdoor space and open it up for people to enjoy getting outside and experience how life-changing it can be.

In this episode of Built On Passion Chris McKleroy shares a more sustainable approach and attitude to bring into a new and budding business, some pitfalls he faced in his first entrepreneurial endeavor and how he managed to avoid them the second time around, and the “How” and “Why” behind Nocs Provisions.

Matt sits down with 3RD ROCK founder Jessica Mor. 3RD ROCK makes expertly made activewear while challenging the limits on sustainable manufacturing in the fashion and apparel space.

There’s no question that 3RD ROCK’s apparel and activewear is awesome but, beyond the surface of their products is where the magic really happens. What started as a way to make better, more comfortable, and eco-friendly apparel quickly grew into something a little more. It’s easy to label yourself as a do-good company by donating some funds to an organization and calling it a day; however, 3RD ROCK goes above and beyond to create sustainable products while doing what they can to make climbing a much more inclusive space.

In this episode of Built On Passion Jessica Mor shares how she jumped from the fashion world to the climbing industry, her approach for developing functional garments and sustainability, opening up climbing for as many people as possible and the “How” and “Why” behind 3RD ROCK.

Matt sits down with Heather’s Choice founder Heather Kelly. Heather’s Choice makes incredibly nutritious and delicious dehydrated backpacking food that doesn’t cut corners on ingredients.

This episode is a little bit of a different format than what you might be used to. We do hit a lot of entrepreneurial themes and we still dig into the nitty-gritty of what Heather’s Choice is all about but, I think what really sets this episode apart is Heather Really lays out her relationship with Heather’s Choice, Entrepreneurship, and the meaning behind it all. This isn’t just a job or career, this is a HUGE passion point for Heather, she even describes it as more of an art project. To sum up this episode simply, Heather Kelly is a badass, I wish we had more time to really dig into things and I’m. We really hit the ground running with this episode and dive into some deep topics

In this episode of Built On Passion, Heather Kelly dives into what entrepreneur means to her and how she approaches building and running her business, how she dove into a brand new career and fought her way to fine-tune her process while learning some tough lessons, and the “How” and “Why” behind Heather’s Choice

Matt sits down with Hiker’s Brew Coffee founder Zach Pecha. Hiker’s Brew Coffee makes sustainably-minded coffee made for the outdoors.

In this episode of Built On Passion Zach Pecha walks us through the steps they took to ensure their coffee operation was as sustainable as possible with the high-quality coffee, the benefits of staying a small batch company to stay true to their mission, and the ‘How’ and ‘Why’ behind Hiker’s Brew Coffee

Matt sits down with Ener-C founder Richard Pollock. Ener-C makes a hydrating, energizing Vitamin C drink mix to make healthy habits more enjoyable.

In this episode of Built On Passion Richard Pollock shares some of the hurdles of educating people and evangelizing about the importance of Vitamin C while dispelling some fallacies, some wisdom from his expansive entrepreneurial career, and the truly captivating ‘How’ and ‘Why’ behind Ener-C